The Legend of Arcceonn Gen 1
by Raynar K'Tal
Summary: In 1365, Arcceonn has been overrun by Saul Dragmire I's Wyvernian Empire for fifteen years now.  Now, the son of Arcceonn's late king, completely unaware of his heritage, fights a lone struggle for the freedom of his people and his nation.
1. TitleDisclaimer

Pokémon and any references I may have used are in no way mine and belong to their respective owners. Character names, personae, the story, and pretty much everything else (including the double tri-spear weapon concept) are my property and therefore consult me if you should desire to use them. If anybody notices any copyright infringement, I did not know about it, and if you have a problem with that, f*** off! (Please excuse my language; this is to let you know how much I hate idiots)

**The Legend of Arcceonn**

**Generation 1: Raynar the Great, King of Arcceonn**

Written by Raynar K'Tal

Edited by Poketoa K'Tal Publishing Co. Ltd.


	2. Prologue

Prologue – The Rise of Wyvernia

The year was 1349 A.D, the location, Daiseto, the capital city of the Grand Republic of Wyvernia, or at least, it WAS the Grand Republic of Wyvernia until March 1st of said year. At the start of the previous year, a radical far-right political faction within the Wyvernian Senate comprised mainly of military officers was beginning to gain influence as their economy began to falter; they were lead by a respected General known as Saul Dragmire, whose power and charisma was so great as to seem near divine and was the namesake of the Dragmire Party. In an emergency election the following year, several members of this nationalist party gained office, but others were afraid of what would happen if they would win a majority in the Senate, and so they fixed the voting, giving the Dragmire Party less than half the votes it needed to obtain a Senate majority. Spies operating for the group discovered this and reported it to Saul. Enraged, Saul condemned their actions, calling for a recount, but it was vetoed by the High Consul, who dismissed Saul, calling him, "a Deranged Lunatic with no place in Politics". Seething from resentment, Saul bided his time, sabotaging the Senate's efforts to stabilize the economy at every turn until at last a large group of demonstrators appeared outside the Senate building. The High Consul attempted to calm them when Saul appeared with several of his shock troops, and said the following to convince the crowd to riot:

_Friends, Soldiers and Citizens of the great nation of Wyvernia, the Senate has tried and failed miserably to prevent the faltering of our economy, and so our homeland slips down into destitution, but I tell you that it is not those in the government who are responsible, rather it is the government itself. When people face strife, suffering and poverty, it becomes necessary to petition the government to provide for them, but our Republic has FAILED every time to even meet the minimum requirements of running a nation! I call upon you today my brethren, to stand up for the future Wyvernia; we need decisive leadership, more effective than the current one! My people, no, my COMRADES, I promise you safety, security, and justice! Let us rise up against this unjust leadership and institute a new era of peace and prosperity, in which our nation will grow and flourish into the most powerful on this Earth! So, in light of this, I declare today that the Republic of Wyvernia has fallen, and in its place shall rise…the Wyvernian Empire! One Empire, One People, One EMPEROR!_

At this, the citizens of Wyvernia cried out in reply _One Empire, One People, One Emperor!_ and began to revolt. Within hours, the Republic had fallen, with some of the senators as well as the High Consul fleeing with help from an ambassador from Wyvernia's most powerful ally: the Royal Sovereignty of Arcceonn, the rest of the senators having been executed during the revolt.

With his power now secured, Saul immediately began a massive military build-up, tripling the size of his army and navy within a month while at the same time annexing several smaller nations along the border with Wyvernia. However, Wyvernia's economy continued to falter, and Saul was running out of options, when his spies revealed that several senators had escaped to Arcceonn, which gave Saul an idea: he could use Arcceonn as a scapegoat, blaming them for Wyvernia's economic troubles, and then invade them.

Eventually, Saul did exactly that, and on June 3rd, 1349. It was hopeless for Arcceonn, as the Wyvernian army outnumbered them vastly, having over six million troops in the invasion force alone, against Arcceonn's army, which numbered at two hundred thousand, over thirty to one against them; it didn't help Arcceonn at all that the legendary Knights of Wyvernia, lead by the Black Knight, Sir Dallon Lettos, spearheaded the attack. Wyvernia obtained near absolute victory, even when up against the one thousand elite soldiers known as the Order of the Knights of Arcceonn; these were the best trained soldiers of all time and were legendary for being able to turn the tide of battle with ease, but they only served to buy Arcceonn two more weeks of existence. This gave the Arcceonn King, Raynar I, time to rally a last-ditch defense of Arcceonn City. At first, it looked like Arcceonn might hold, until Emperor Saul himself appeared on the battlefield and decimated the Arcceonn ranks, eventually striking down Raynar I. The Arcceonn army was all but annihilated, with only seven of the youngest of the Knights of Arcceonn managing to escape the slaughter. Meanwhile, most had no idea that Raynar I, although not having a Queen, had an illegitimate son whose mother was a peasant he had been good friends with since childhood. He was Raynar II, and in time, he would become the greatest military and political leader in the entire region's history, eventually bringing about the defeat of Wyvernia and restoring Arcceonn to existence. It was no exaggeration when he was dubbed 'Raynar the Great'…


	3. Chapter 1: An Assassin's Honor

Chapter 1 – An Assassin's Honor

_It was the year 1364, fifteen years after the fall of Arcceonn to the Wyvernian Empire, and by now, all hope has been lost of regaining independence. Many have simply accepted the situation and go about their everyday lives like always, but there are a few who question Wyvernian rule. One such individual was a young seventeen-year-old Lucario who went by the name Raynar Normand, his surname coming from that of his adopted family, but his true surname was something far more impressive, one that Saul I had thought to be dead: K'Tal. It is here, in Arcceonn City, that the legend of Raynar the Great begins…_

In the central square of Arcceonn City, all was silent, as it always was late at night. The only sign of Wyvernian occupation were the flags and banners flapping in the wind as well as the occasional patrol of Wyvernian soldiers through the streets after dark to enforce the curfew placed upon all the city's inhabitants. The Wyvernian Laws were strict, and the slightest infraction could result in imprisonment, torture, or worse. These laws and their punishments didn't seem to matter to some in this city; this was especially true for one particular Lucario whose job required operating in the shadows at night. His name: Raynar, his mission: revenge. He vividly remembered the day when his adopted mother was arrested on suspicion of treason when there was no evidence of her guilt; he also remembered the one who took her away: a Dusknoir known as Sir Dallon Lettos, the Black Knight of Wyvernia. His questionable sense of honor and justice made him hardly qualified to be called a knight, or at least, that was Raynar's thoughts. That was four years ago; since then, he had lived the dangerous life of an assassin hoping to come up with a way to draw him into the open, and only then could Raynar have his revenge. That was why he was here, just outside the castle walls of the fortress in Arcceonn City. This would be his most dangerous attempt yet, as his target was Sir Gannon, the Military Governor of Arcceonn but was better known as the Green Knight of Wyvernia, and was famous for his skill in battle and his seemingly emotionless approach to both war and politics.

"Here goes nothing…" Raynar muttered as he threw a grappling line up to the top of the wall and began climbing the wall. Upon making it to the top, he removed the grapple as to not arouse suspicion and looked around. No guards were in sight, so far, so good. _Perfect…_ Raynar thought as he jumped off the wall and into the courtyard, hiding behind a pillar when a pair of Machokes came by. When they had passed, Raynar slipped through the door that lead into the fortress' interior and closed the door. The place was massive, Raynar knew, which maximized the chances of a guard being somewhere in his way. He needed to find Sir Gannon's chambers, and quick. _Where would he be this late at night?_ he thought _Hmm…I would suspect either the library, his personal study, or his sleeping chambers. I'll start with the library._ With that, Raynar turned and snuck down the hallway leading the east wing, where the library was located.

Upon reaching the library, Raynar waited just outside the door and drew the dagger he had been carrying from its scabbard. Suddenly, he pushed open the door and leapt into the room, but it was completely empty, there wasn't even a fire in the fireplace. _Okay, so he's not here…then he's bound to be in the study…_ he thought as he turned and snuck back out, being sure to close the doors behind him. _Well so much for that…maybe his study. That should be in the west wing._ Raynar then followed the hallway back to the great hall and kept on going down to the west wing.

Just outside the study, Raynar peaked in through the door, which was cracked slightly open. The study was also empty, with not a trace of anyone being there within at least a few hours. _Blast!_ Raynar thought, _So he's in his chambers, the most difficult to get to. He's bound to have guards posted by the doors._ He considered turning back at the moment, but he remembered his motivation. _No, I can't give up now!_ he thought. With that he turned around and returned to the Great Hall, upon which he took the stairs leading to the north then took a right up another flight of stairs leading to the upper west wing.

Meanwhile, in his chambers, Sir Gallon was wide awake, meditating whilst facing the window overlooking Arcceonn City below. He truly thought that Arcceonn was a beautiful land, and that it must have been fantastic to live in when it was free, but now, he could sense the people's despair and loss, and it saddened him. The Gallade wished there was something he could do, but alas he was powerless due to the Emperor's grasp on all political power and along with the other knights, he was virtually powerless. "Damn them all…" he muttered when suddenly he sensed a presence approaching, one that was unfamiliar. Immediately, he suspected the worst. _Well, it was only a matter of time before an attempt would be made on my life…_ he thought as his door shot open. Gannon stood up and spun around, finding himself face to face with his assailant, a Lucario wielding a dagger that although appeared young gave off the impression that he was a lot more skilled than he appeared. What offended him, however, was that he was merely a _boy_, not fully grown yet, just a child. "What kind of fool do you take me for?" Gannon said calmly, "You're just a boy, what makes you think you can take my life?" "Motivation" the Lucario replied, "Once I eliminate you, the Black Knight will return to Arcceonn, and when he arrives, I will have my revenge!" Gannon frowned and shook his head in disapproval. "I may not agree with Sir Dallon's methods either; in fact, I wouldn't particularly care what happens to him" Gannon replied as he moved into a fighting stance, "But I will defend myself, that much you can count on." "So be it, you'll die in battle rather than in your sleep" the assailant replied.

Raynar attacked first with an overhead stab, but Gannon immediately deflected the attack and knocked his dagger away. Raynar leapt back to evade a counterstrike and moved into his own fighting stance. "I'll fight you hand to hand then" he said coldly. Now it was Gannon's turn to strike Raynar, but the Lucario had an Ace Card he could still use: his agility. Every time Gannon struck at him, Raynar weaved, ducked or leapt out of the way. _He's good, VERY good…_ Gannon thought when suddenly Raynar swept him off of his feet and knocked him to the ground before he followed up with an Aura-boosted punch right to his chest. Gannon gasped for breath as the wind was knocked out of him. Before the Gallade could recover, Raynar had him by the throat pressed against the wall. "Any last words?" Raynar asked as he raised his fist to end the fight. As Gannon appeared to be about to say something, somebody else shouted, "Back away from him foul villain!" Raynar's eyes widened in shock; there was somebody else here, willing to challenge him, but the voice was feminine. He looked over his shoulder to see Gannon's daughter, a young Gardevoir named Gwynn. He had heard of her before, but this was the first time he saw her in his life, and he had to admit, she was every bit as beautiful as he had heard. Raynar snapped himself out of his daze and focused back on his mission. "Back away, my fair maiden; I do not wish you any harm" Raynar said without any hint at emotion, despite the burning hatred inside of him. "I won't let you hurt my father any further!" Gwynn shot back angrily, "You want to kill him, then you'll have to go through me!" "Wish granted" Raynar replied as he dropped Gannon and struck Gwynn onto the ground using Extremespeed. He raised his fist into the air and was about to finish her when something made him stop.

It was her eyes, or more specifically, the combination of anger, fear and despair he could see in them as she knew she was staring death itself in the face. He could see his own faint reflection in them as well, but to him, his reflection seemed to appear as Sir Dallon's. _Damn! I can't do this!_ Raynar thought in defeat as he slowly lowered his fist and stood up, backing away slowly. Raynar could hear the shouts of the guards; they were coming this way, and fast. Raynar stepped back towards the window and nodded towards Gwynn. "Farewell" Raynar replied as he shattered the window and jumped out. Gwynn stood up, ran over to the window and looked out to the ground below; there wasn't a single trace of the assailant, and she knew there was no way he could survive such a long drop. As a pair of Machoke and a pair of Kabutops entered the room, they immediately came to Sir Gannon's aid. "Don't worry; I'm fine" Gannon replied as he walked over to his daughter and asked, "What is it?" "The assassin…" she said vacantly, "He could have killed me then, but he didn't…why?" "Well…maybe he isn't truly an assassin, as assassins have no chivalry, no honor" Gannon replied, "He didn't seem the type to be an assassin…" "Sir, should we search the grounds?" one of the Kabutops asked. "No Sergeant, he's gone" Gannon replied, "Leave him be."

Meanwhile, just outside the walls of the fortress, Raynar stayed hidden in a tree, where he would remain until daybreak. He had managed to escape thanks to his accomplice, a Mismagius who called herself the "_Enchantress Extraordinaire_", but he knew her as Morgan. "Thank you Morgan" Raynar said, "Looks like I owe you another one." Morgan just laughed and replied, "Just be more careful next time." "Yeah…but I was so close!" Raynar cursed, "I had almost killed Sir Gannon…but that's when _she_ showed up." "She? You mean Gwynn" Morgan replied, "Yeah; I've heard she has that effect on the opposite sex, although she seems to not be interested in romance at all." "You don't say" Raynar said, "No wonder so many suitors have tried and failed to woo her, she plays hard to get...but in this case, she was probably the one who had called the guards." "Wrong" Morgan replied with a mischievous smile, "I watched the whole ordeal; you failed because you hesitated and refused to finish her…now I wonder why that is?" Raynar blushed slightly and replied, "What…no! It's nothing like that! I could care less about her!" "You certainly didn't seem to think so" Morgan teased. "Shut up!" Raynar replied in irritation. "Fine, whatever you say…" Morgan said, "Say Raynar, do you think there are others out there fighting the Wyvernians?" "Wouldn't surprise me" Raynar answered "But for now…we're all alone." "Yeah…" Morgan sighed before she said, "Why don't you get some rest, I'll keep watch." "Thank you Morgan, good night" Raynar replied as he drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 2: Rebels

Chapter 2 – Rebels

_After Raynar failed in his mission to assassinate Sir Gannon, Arcceonn City was on full alert, and the Wyvernian military presence was increased. Nobody knows who the assassin is, but there are whispers of an "Arcceonn Liberation Army" beginning to circulate throughout the populace. Will this have any bearing on Raynar's plans, and why was Morgan suggesting he was infatuated with Gwynn, the daughter of the knight he had tried to kill the previous night?_

The central square was busy as it usually was as merchants hawked their wares at everybody that came close to them. Save the noticeably increased number of guards in the City, everything seemed normal, save the air of uneasiness among the citizens and the Wyvernians alike. An assassin had attacked Sir Gannon Auburn and his daughter, Gwynn the previous night, and many wondered who he was. This was true for a group of visitors to the city, but they were interested for a different reason from the rest. They were an Absol, a Weavile and a Gabite, and although there seemed to be nothing special about them, there was more to them than met the eye.

"That assassin I keep hearing about intrigues me" said the Absol, going by the name of Borus, although he was known as Borus 'the Younger' in the presence of his father. "Are you really sure he's still here?" asked the Weavile, walking on his left. "Lucan, you should know that the best assassin's don't need to run" answered the Gabite, "And you wouldn't know them when you saw them either." Suddenly, Borus stopped, prompting Lucan and the Gabite to stop. Ahead of them was a Lucario, carefully weaving his way through the crowd, but Borus was able to catch a glimpse of a sheathed dagger in his hand. "Draco, I think we just found our assassin" Borus said with a grin. "What should we do?" Lucan asked. "We follow him" Draco replied, "We should split up and track him, but stay out of earshot. Assassins are cautious fellows by nature." At that, the three of them split up, taking different routes to where they thought he was going, but making sure to keep an eye on him in case he changed direction.

Raynar was slowly working his way through the crowd when suddenly Morgan appeared behind him. "Raynar, you've got some unwanted company" she whispered in his ear. "What? Who?" Raynar asked. "An Absol, a Gabite and a Weavile" Morgan answered, "They don't look like Wyvernian spies to me, but one can never be sure these days." "I know that…" Raynar replied, "If we can make it to the square, we can lose them…" "I don't know Raynar…" Morgan said, glancing at the Gabite, who was on the roof of someone's dwelling. She gave him a dirty look then proceeded to continue following Raynar.

A short time later, Raynar finally made it into the central square, and as far as he saw, there was no sign he was still being followed. "I think we lost them…" Raynar muttered when suddenly he walked right into someone. It was a Kabutops of the Wyvernian Army, one of the same ones from the previous night! _Damn!_ Raynar thought when he turned around and stared at him wide-eyed. "The assassin! He's here!" the Kabutops shouted. "Yeah, but you won't be for long!" Raynar shouted as he launched the Kabutops into the air and through a window using Sky Uppercut. Everyone in the square immediately ran out as soon as a patrol of Wyvernian soldiers arrived consisting of three each of Machokes, Kabutops, Scythers, Mightyenas and Blazikens. One of the Blazikens, a Sergeant most likely, shouted "There he is! Take him down!" "Right!" replied the others as they surrounded Raynar and Morgan. "Well, this is it I guess…" Raynar said, "I'm sorry I got you involved in this Morgan…" "Nah, I probably would've ended up in this position a while ago if it weren't for you" Morgan replied with a grin as the two prepared to fight for their lives.

Suddenly, the three pokemon that had been following Raynar earlier ran into the circle and stood between the Wyvernians and Raynar. "Back away you imperialist warmongers!" shouted the Absol furiously. "How dare you! Identify yourselves at once!" the group's leader ordered. "Gladly" the Gabite replied, "I am Sir Draco Lanze!" "Sir Borus McKnight the Younger!" answered the Absol. "Sir Lucan Matthias!" replied the Weavile. "Ah…Rebel Knights" one of the Mightyenas sneered, "I've heard many things about your kind. You're brave, but not real smart." "We'll see about that…" Draco growled. "You still have me to deal with too!" Raynar shouted, much to everyone's surprise. "An assassin who doesn't try to run, you're not a conventional assassin are you?" Lucan said. "I prefer the term 'Knight without a Code'…" Raynar replied as he unsheathed his dagger. "Don't start the party without me boys!" Morgan said as she reappeared. "A female shouldn't be fighting" Lucan muttered. "When you see what she can do, you'll eat your words…" Raynar answered, "Now! Follow me!" At that moment, Raynar leapt over the heads of the guards, as did all of the others so that they were on the outside of the circle. "Now! Fire your strongest attacks!" Raynar shouted as he charged Aura Sphere. "Got it! Dragon Pulse!" Draco shouted. "Understood! Ice Beam!" Lucan responded. "Dark Pulse!" Borus shouted. "Shadow Ball!" Morgan answered. Their attacks all hit at the same time, creating a massive explosion when all five collided and blowing everyone away. All of the Wyvernians were knocked out, but Raynar, Morgan and the Knights all stood back up.

"You know what? I take back what I said" Lucan said. "Good" Morgan said. "I think we might want to retreat for now before more show up" Borus said. "No problem!" Morgan replied as she recited a short incantation. Less than a second later, they had teleported out of Arcceonn City and were just outside the gates, which had no guards posted there as they all went to investigate the commotion. "Okay, will someone tell me what's going on!" Raynar exclaimed, "Who are all of you!" "We are Arcceonn Knights…" Borus answered, "Among the last our kind." "Arcceonn Knights…wait a second! They served under Raynar I right?" Morgan asked. "That's right" Draco answered, "Now why don't you introduce yourselves now that we have?" "My name is Morgan Fei, the _Enchantress Extraordinaire_" Morgan answered. "Raynar Normand" Raynar answered. Borus cocked his brow at this and said, "Wait a minute…there's something familiar about you…" Raynar stood very still now, wary of how Borus was scrutinizing him so closely. "What, is there a problem?" Raynar asked. "No…it's just you look a lot like Raynar I did in his day…" Borus replied, "Probably a coincidence, nothing more." "A coincidence!" Draco exclaimed, "He looks _exactly_ like him!" "Draco, let's not jump to conclusions just yet" Lucan said flatly, "You realize that Raynar I never married." "Well I was a bastard child…" Raynar muttered, "But that's another story. Let's get out of here before the guards come back; we can't return here for a while, or it'll be our heads to pay for it."

Meanwhile, back at the square, Sir Gannon had finally arrived to assess the damage and was horrified by what had happened. There was a massive crater in the ground created by the blast, and objects were literally stuck in the walls from being driven into them. "Who did _this_!" Gannon exclaimed. "It was the assassin and his cohorts sir" a Kabutops replied, "Some rebel Knights showed up and came to his aid." "So he's not acting alone…" Gannon said, "What if he's part of an entire _army_?" "Excuse me? Sir, Arcceonn doesn't have that kind of capability anymore" the Kabutops said. "You never know, fate has a strange way of dealing its cards" Gannon replied, "Sometimes It's you who ends up with the Joker…"

A few hours later, Gannon was back in his study looking through some documents that had just been delivered. One of them intrigued him greatly; it was a note addressed to him, specifically from Emperor Saul himself, or rather his scribe, as Saul, being a Salamence, couldn't hold a pen to write with although he could read.

_Greetings Sir Gannon,_

_I trust you are in good health? As am I. I have recently received a report from my advisor stating that there is unrest in Arcceonn. I will soon be sending you another three divisions to reinforce positions there. We cannot afford an uprising Sir Gannon, the glory of Wyvernia hangs in the balance. You would know that more than any of us._

_Signed,_

_Saul Dragmire I_

Gannon sighed and placed the letter of to the side; he really wanted to believe all of the great things Wyvernia was destined for, but he really hated himself for complying with orders to commit many an atrocity. It just wasn't the way of a knight, and it sickened him.

"Is something wrong father?" came the voice of his daughter from behind him. "Not really Gwynn, I'm just tired…" Gannon replied as he turned and walked over to her, "And what about you?" "I was just thinking about last night" Gwynn replied, "the assassin…why did he spare me?" "Well, I for one don't believe he was truly an assassin" Gannon answered, staring past her at some unspecified point of no significance. "Well…then what was he?" Gwynn asked. "Well, he certainly wasn't an assassin. He seemed to have too much dignity…" Gannon answered, "Perhaps even too much to be a knight…I'm not quite sure." Gwynn lowered her head in disappointment, as she had hoped for a better answer. "But I am certain of one thing" Gannon said, prompting Gwynn to look back up. "We will most likely cross paths with him again some day."


	5. Chapter 3: Infiltration

Chapter 3 – Infiltration

_It was now1365, a full year since the Arcceonn City brawl, and unrest among the populace has continued to grow, as has doubt towards the Wyvernian leadership, even amongst the Wyvernian military elite. Despite this, events haven't delayed, and as Gwynn Auburn, the daughter of Sir Gannon Auburn, is nearing her sixteenth year, she would be expected to choose a suitor. Of course, the Arcceonn Liberation Army decides this was the perfect time to plant a spy amongst their ranks, and so they sent several of their knights as well as Raynar and Morgan back to Arcceonn City for this mission._

"Hmm…I wonder, what exactly do they have here in terms of food?" Draco said as he and his companions hid just outside Arcceonn City when Raynar slapped the back of his head. "Focus on the mission" Raynar scolded. "What was that for?" Draco replied angrily. "I told you, I first priority is the mission. There will be food at the event anyways" Raynar said. Borus and Lucan shook their heads, but Morgan couldn't help but smile. In the last year, Raynar had trained with the Arcceonn Knights, and he had changed drastically. He was far more serious and also more polite, mainly because of the 'Code of Chivalry' he had to live by in training. He was also much more humble, and was loyal to the ALA's cause. Morgan had to admit, she liked the new Raynar better than the old one, mainly because he still retained his sense of humor in most cases. "Alright, we've made it this far, but we never decided who the spy should be" Raynar said, "Any suggestions?" Everyone looked at him, telling Raynar what their decision was. "What? I'm no spy, you know that!" Raynar replied. "You were an assassin, which makes you the most qualified to be a spy" Borus said. "All _you_ need is a proper disguise!" Morgan exclaimed. Raynar looked off to the side a bit and muttered, "I always liked a good disguise…"

"You ready yet Raynar?" Draco asked. "Almost" Raynar replied. Morgan rolled her eyes in amusement. She had suggested the disguise, but Draco went off to collect it, and Morgan wasn't able to see it beforehand; she just hoped he didn't look completely ridiculous. "I'm ready" Raynar said as he stepped out from behind a tree in his disguise. Morgan, Draco, Borus and Lanze were blown away at Draco's choice. It was armor coated in polished silver made up of several overlapping plates over chainmail. This provided protection along with a great deal of flexibility all in a lightweight package. Topping it all off was a crimson cape draped over his shoulders and extended down to a few inches from the ground. "I look like a fool" Raynar growled. "Raynar…I think we have a winner!" Morgan replied, "You look a knight in shining armor come to rescue the fair demoiselle in distress!" "Please don't get all dramatic Morgan" Raynar said, "I'm here on an infiltration mission, not a rescue mission." "Well, I don't know about you, but I think we're ready" Borus said, "Let's go."

Later on, at the castle, Raynar and his companions, save Morgan who was on lookout, approached the entrance. Two Machokes standing on either side holding halberds blocked his path. "Identify yourself" one of them said. "I am a Knight of Wyvernia; as are my companions" Raynar answered, "Please let us pass." The two Machokes looked at each other and shook their heads. They looked back at Raynar and asked, "What is your title?" Raynar glanced around, frantically looking for a sign of what to say when his eyes came to rest on a flyer someone had dropped, and he could make out a name on it. "Sir Arthorius…but I prefer to be referred to as Sir Arthur" Raynar replied. One of the Machokes nodded and turned to Draco next. "You are?" he asked. "I'm Sir…Lancelot" Draco replied, using a variation on his last name. "What about you?" the Machoke asked, gesturing to Borus. "Sir Bors" Borus replied, also using a variation of his own name. "And you?" the other Machoke said, gesturing to Lucan. "Sir Lucan" Lucan replied, being truthful unlike the others. The two Machokes looked at each other and nodded. "You may pass" one of them said as they stepped aside. "As you were, soldiers" Raynar replied as he and his companions walked past.

"Well that went well…" Draco said, "Raynar, why did you choose Arthur?" "Well, why did you choose Lancelot?" Raynar replied. "Hmm…touché" Draco said in response, slightly irritated that he had been given a question as an answer to his own question. By now the four of them had stopped in front of the doors leading inside to the Great Hall. "Well…here we go…" Raynar muttered as he opened the door and entered. As Raynar stepped in, he was blown away. Last time he had been here, this room was nearly empty and was completely dark, but now it had been refurbished to what it had looked like fifteen years ago. There were many others there, mostly just talking, others getting drinks. . "Impressive…" Borus said vacantly. Now Raynar realized why he was trained in etiquette in the year since he was here last. "I have my work cut out for me…" he muttered.

Meanwhile, Gwynn sat alone in her room, thinking about the many recent events that could have relevance to her. She was stressed out, as she was now at an age when most females of nobility choose a suitor, but she didn't feel ready to give up her personal freedoms, nor did she feel she could handle the responsibility. Furthermore, she had been experiencing a recurring nightmare for quite some time now; it was of that time about a year ago when an assassin attempted to kill her father and then her. She remembered his features too, despite the fact it was in the middle of the night and she could just barely see them; he was a Lucario with a relatively athletic build and had black fur near the top of his right ear, probably something he had inherited from his parents. He was also a skilled martial artist, that much she knew first-hand, but most of all, the look in his eyes was what intrigued her. They didn't betray any sort of malice, but instead she saw sadness, pain and most of all, loneliness. Gwynn wondered where he was now, assuming he was still alive, and if he thought of her every now and then.

Suddenly, her door opened and her father stepped into the room. "The gathering's already started Gwynn, I would very much like you to be there" Gannon said. "Father…I just don't know if I can…" Gwynn answered, "I mean, everyone will be watching me. I just feel self-conscious…" At this, Gannon smiled and sat down next to her. "I understand how you feel" Gannon replied, "That type of attention is the price of beauty." Gwynn looked at her father and nodded. "Alright…I'll go" Gwynn said as she stood up. "Gwynn, wait!" Gannon said just as Gwynn was about to walk out, prompting her to stop and turn around. "Relax. Nothing bad will happen to you, I promise" Gannon said. Gwynn smiled and answered, "Thank you." With that said, Gwynn turned around and began walking towards the Great Hall. Gannon, now saying what he needed to, stood up and looked out the window at the central spire's window. To his surprise, there was a faint glow emanating from an object inside that only Gannon and Gwynn knew was there, but only he knew what it was. "What! That's…no! It can't be!" Gannon exclaimed in disbelief.

Back in the Great Hall, a few minutes later, Raynar had gone almost unnoticed up until now. Sometimes, one would glance at him, but for the most part nobody seemed to pay him any attention whatsoever. This relieved Raynar somewhat, as at least he wouldn't be expected to know something he didn't. Or, at least it seemed. Unfortunately Raynar wasn't paying much attention and ran right into someone. Raynar looked at who it was to realize, much to his chagrin, it was a _real _WyvernianKnight. This wasn't any knight however; Raynar had ran into none other than Sir Damien Incendio, a Blaziken wearing crimson armor that was best known as the _Red Knight of Wyvernia_, and he had just caused him to spill his drink. "Watch where you're walking!" Damien shouted angrily. "My apologies Sir, I wasn't paying attention" Raynar said, although what he thought was something along the lines of, _Dammit! It just HAD to be you, didn't it? Way to go Raynar!_ "Wasn't paying attention, what kind of fool do you take me for?" Damien shouted so loudly that the room fell silent. Anger surged within Raynar as he realized Damien was calling him a liar. "You dare to offend my sacred honor?" Raynar replied with equal fury, "It is now _you_ who is in the wrong!" "That does it! We'll settle this in a duel!" Damien shouted as his anger reached a fever pitch, causing everyone to move back in anticipation of the fight to come.

Gwynn entered the Great Hall to find two of the guests in a standoff. One of them was Sir Damien, who everyone knew had a short temper while the other was a Lucario that although she had never seen before looked vaguely familiar. "It's time to see to see how you measure up!" Damien said. The Lucario, even now, seemed to know something Sir Damien didn't. He smirked and replied, "Well if you must resort to violence, then ladies first." At that insult, Gwynn could have sworn Damien would explode from his anger. "You're going to eat your words!" Damien shouted as he rushed towards the stranger using Sky Uppercut. Then his foe did something completely unexpected; he simply took one step to the right then one step forward before Damien attacked, causing him to miss, and just as he passed, his foe spun around and slammed his fist into the back of Sir Damien's head. The Red Knight fell to the floor in a heap, his armor making a metallic clang as he fell unconscious. "Brain _always_ beats brawn" the stranger said just before everyone started resuming what they were doing, the two Machokes from the entrance dragging Sir Damien off to the side. _How did he do that?_ Gwynn thought in surprise, _Better yet, who IS he?_ Just as the Lucario was about to walk away, Gwynn walked up behind him asked, "Excuse me, but might you tell me your name?"

Raynar turned around slowly, as he recognized the voice. Upon turning around completely, he froze where he stood. It was Gwynn Auburn, the Gardevoir that had foiled his assassination plot the previous year. Did he recognize him? Did she even _think_ she knew him? "Sir Arthorius" Raynar lied. "Is that your real name or just a title?" Gwynn asked. "Uh…" Raynar paused, trying to think of what to say to her. He decided to make Arthorius his surname, and to make his real name his first and middle names. "Arthorius is my surname" Raynar answered, "My full name is Sir Raynar Normand Arthorius." Raynar then bowed at the waste and replied, "It is a pleasure to meet you in person Gwynn Auburn." "Thank you" Gwynn replied, "Why don't you take a walk with me? We can become more acquainted that way." "I would be honored" Raynar answered.


	6. Chapter 4: Miracle

Chapter 4 – Miracle

_Despite some initial difficulties involving the infamous Red Knight, Raynar has successfully infiltrated the Wyvernian occupation government. What's more? He seems to have gained the trust of Gwynn Auburn, who, ironically, he had tried to kill just one year ago. As the night goes on, however, the longer the amount of time Raynar spends around Gwynn, the more likely she is to discover his identity…and what of that strange light Gannon saw? Is it a sign of impending disaster, or is it possible a ray of hope pointing to a miracle?_

Raynar had been walking with Gwynn for nearly an hour now, and yet the brawl with Sir Damien seemed to him to be ancient history. The two of them had talked about different subjects, but nothing personal, when suddenly, as they entered the grounds behind the castle, Gwynn asked something Raynar was not prepared to answer. "So…tell me Sir Raynar" Gwynn said as she and Raynar walked together, "What is it you seek in life? What is your motive to succeed?" "My motive…" Raynar answered, "Right, my motive…good question, but if I had to give you an answer, it is to protect the innocent and defend the weak."

"Oh really?" Gwynn replied, "You're not just saying that to sound more noble, are you?" "No, I'm not" Raynar said, "I sincerely am not trying to promote myself in any way." The two of them sat down on a rock and looked out at the sea, at which point Raynar continued, "Besides, even if I were, I wouldn't dream of trying to seduce you in any way." "Why's that?" Gwynn asked, seeming slightly offended. "It's not you, it's me" Raynar replied with a somewhat sad undertone, "Frankly, I don't think I would stand a chance. There are others that are stronger, smarter, and more famous than I that would probably seek you out. You deserve better than what I have to offer." Gwynn could sympathize with Raynar, as he didn't seem too far out of the ordinary for a knight, but something in the back of her mind started to bother her again; he seemed even more familiar, but Gwynn dismissed this thought. "Don't be so hard on yourself" Gwynn said, "You seem very kind, and most certainly humble, unlike most of the other knights I've met." "Thank you…" Raynar replied, not realizing he had started to blush ever so slightly when he noticed something behind Gwynn. He tilted his head to the side and looked past her to see a faint light coming from small window at the top of the main spire. "What's that light up there?" Raynar asked, pointing towards it. Gwynn turned around to see what Raynar was pointing at and froze. She had been told that something would happen if the object in the room began glowing slightly, and that it would be either a great tragedy or a great miracle. "Come with me, I'll show you what might be causing that glow" Gwynn said as she took Raynar's hand and led him back into the castle.

Meanwhile, Draco had wandered off from the main gathering to do some snooping around the castle and gather intelligence. _Where did that Gwynn take Raynar? _He thought as he looked around, _I hope nothing happened to him._ Suddenly, he heard rapid footsteps approaching and ducked behind a statue, peering out at what had caused the noise. It was Gwynn and Raynar, and they were running at a rapid pace. "The chamber is just up these stairs at the top of the spire" Gwynn said as she started climbing, "Coming?" "I'm right behind you" Raynar answered as he followed her. After they had gone, Draco crept out of his hiding spot and looked into the doorway to the central spire. _Hmm…what chamber?_ Draco thought as he went up after them.

Minutes later, they were ascending a long spiral staircase, and hadn't slowed down at all. Suddenly Gwynn came to a stop at a door. "Here it is…" Gwynn said as she cautiously opened the door and peeked in, "No one's inside, it's safe for you to go in…" she said, gesturing for Raynar to enter. Raynar entered the chamber and was stupefied by what was inside. It was a dual tri-halberd, a weapon typically used by Arcceonn Knights fifteen years ago. The shaft shone like silver, and the blades were of adamantite, a near-indestructible ore that can channel Aura. Half of it was embedded in a pedestal, and on that, a plaque. "What's this?" Raynar muttered as he cautiously approached it, Gwynn right behind him. "It's written in Unown" Raynar said as he looked at the inscription, "It's been a while, but I can translate this…"

Draco peeked in to the chamber to see Raynar and Gwynn standing in front of a strange pole-like object half-embedded in a pedestal, the top of it glowing a soft blue. _Huh? What's that?_ Draco thought as he heard Raynar say, "It's written in Unown…It's been a while, but I can translate this…" Draco made sure to pay extra-close attention now, as he wasn't able to read it himself due to them being in the way. "Whoever so shalt remove Exomere from its place in this stone…" Raynar said as he read the first part when suddenly he stopped. "What's wrong Sir Raynar?" Gwynn asked. "I don't believe what I'm seeing!" Raynar replied, "Whoever shalt remove Exomere from its place in this stone is the rightful heir to the throne and great King of Arcceonn!"

"What the!" Gwynn exclaimed. _What the…a prophecy!_ Draco thought in shock, _Is this a sign?_ "Hold it…my father told me about Exomere" Gwynn said, "he said that it appeared out of nowhere about a year after the fall of Arcceonn. Over one hundred pokemon of different walks of life attempted to remove it, but all failed, so my father unearthed the stone and brought Exomere here, still in the stone." Raynar didn't respond, his gaze fixed on Exomere, which revealed to Gwynn his thoughts. "You…You're not seriously going to attempt to remove it yourself! There's no way!" Gwynn exclaimed, "The heir would have to be the son of Arcceonn's late king, and he never married!" "It isn't unheard of for a child of noble heritage to be born out of wedlock" Raynar replied, "I never knew who my father was…but maybe I could be the one…" Raynar then placed both his hands on the shaft of Exomere, the visible blade seeming to glow slightly brighter. Gwynn took a few steps back to the wall as Raynar continued to pull. Raynar pulled harder, Exomere glowed brighter. Suddenly, a surge of energy coursed through its shaft as the metallic screech of adamantite against rock. Gwynn couldn't believe what she was seeing; it had _moved_! _Could the legend somehow be true?_ she thought in amazement as it moved again. "COME ON!" Raynar shouted as he pulled even harder, the glow of the other blade now visible. It jerked upwards again once, twice, and finally, with a final pull, the legendary weapon came free, its blades glowing white, as bright as the morning sun. Gwynn shielded her eyes, as did Draco in his hiding place. Suddenly, the glow faded back to a soft blue glow. Raynar held Exomere in his hands in disbelief. "So I am not who I thought I was…" he muttered, "Raynar Normand Arthorius never existed…I am Raynar K'Tal II, now and forever!"

Meanwhile, Sir Gannon had gone out into the grounds to show some of his guests what he had done as far as landscaping went. "As for this are, I simply…" Gannon began when suddenly a metallic shriek cut him off. He covered his ears, as did everyone else. Then it stopped, and started yet again. "What's happening?" exclaimed an Armaldo, "What is that unholy shriek?" "That light! Up there!" a Feraligatr shouted, pointing towards the central spire. Gannon looked up at the window and noticed the light was glowing brighter and brighter. "I knew it! It's happening! It's really happening!" he exclaimed. "What's happening?" shouted the Armaldo. Before Gannon could respond, the light suddenly became so bright that everyone had to turn away and cover their eyes. After several seconds, the light faded. "Oh my Arceus!" Gannon exclaimed as he suddenly ran over to the castle towards the entrance to the spire.

"I don't believe it…" Gwynn muttered, completely stupefied by what had just happened. "Well…" Raynar responded, "Believe it." At that moment, Draco burst into the room and slammed the door shut. "Draco! What did you do?" Raynar shouted. "Somebody's coming up here!" Draco shouted as suddenly he backed away from the door, a slash mark appearing in it before it fell clean in half. Sir Gannon stepped through and stared first at Draco, then Gwynn, then Raynar, and finally Exomere, which instead of being in its pedestal, was now in his hands! "What are you doing here? You don't belong here!" Gannon shouted angrily. "Save your breath Sir Gannon, you've lost to me before" Raynar said flatly. At this Gannon suddenly realized what this had meant; the assassin from a year prior had returned…as the heir to the Arcceonn throne!

"Gwynn, get away from him. I'll handle this" Gannon said as he readied to fight. "No!" Draco shouted, but Gannon slashed him with Leaf Blade and knocked him out. "Draco!" Raynar shouted as he attempted to save his friend when Gannon teleported between them. "I don't want to hurt you Gannon…" Raynar said, "Please don't do this." "Why should I trust you Rebel?" Gannon replied coldly. "Because…I refuse to fight back, do as you will" Raynar said as he threw Exomere down to the floor.

Gannon paused at this, seeming to be thinking about what to do next. Gwynn on the other hand had no idea what to do. Finally, however, she remembered the voice of her late mother, who had died of a disease when she was young: _Follow your heart Gwynn, and you will find your answers._ Gannon smirked and said, "A foolish choice!" He leapt at Raynar and slashed him multiple times, causing grievous damage, but as Raynar promised, he refused to fight back. Gannon continued to strike Raynar until he was on the ground, at which point he stood over him, ready for the finisher. "Any last words?" Gannon taunted, an ironic statement, given Raynar said the same to him when their positions were reversed a year ago. Raynar just closed his eyes and awaited the inevitable attack. Just as Gannon readied his strike and was about to attack, Gwynn suddenly blocked his attack. "Don't harm him!" Gwynn shouted forcefully. "Move Gwynn, this must be done" Gannon said coldly. "No! He spared both of us one year ago; can't you extend the same courteousy to him?" Gwynn shot back angrily, "I know I can, so if you want to kill him, fine, but you will have to kill me too!" "Gwynn, you are aware of what will happen if I _don't_ kill him" Gannon said, "Now please, get out of the way!" "Then as of now I'm joining the resistance movement" Gwynn said, "Go ahead, carry out your Emperor's orders father!"

Gannon paused for a few seconds and prepared to strike, but he just couldn't kill his daughter too. He now had to decide between his loyalties, Saul, or his convictions. Gannon lowered his arm and turned away in shame. "I have just committed treason by disobeying Emperor Saul's standing orders to give the Rebels no quarter" Gannon said, "I have nothing left for me in serving him any longer…Prince Raynar, may I make a request?" Raynar, although a bit dazed, stood back up with help from Gwynn and replied, "Ask away." "Your highness…I wish to defect. I pledge to you my loyalty and my life. All I have is now at your disposal" Gannon said as he knelt down. "Uh…" Raynar paused, embarrassed at being called "Your Highness." "If you are willing to forgive, then so am I" Raynar answered, "Sir Gannon, I accept you into my army." "Thank you…I will not fail you, no matter what" Gannon said as he stood back up.

"What happened?" Draco muttered as he regained consciousness. "Draco! You're alright!" Raynar exclaimed as he helped him up. "What the…" Draco said when he saw Gannon, "You son of a…" Draco nearly attacked him, but Raynar and Gwynn held him down. "Stop it Draco! They're on our side!" Raynar shouted, "They're defecting!" Draco, surprised at this, remained completely silent. "Now, we'll have to escape from here immediately. This is likely to have attracted some attention…we'll have to link back up with Sir Lucan and Sir Bors" Raynar said as he picked up Exomere, "then from there we'll head out and find Morgan, who will then teleport us out of the city to safety." "Alright…but how do we get out?" Draco asked. "Simple" Raynar said with a mischievous grin, "It's what you do best Draco…" Draco's expression changed from shock to ecstatic as he replied, "Hmm…I'll see what I can do…"


	7. Chapter 5: Escape into the Night

Chapter 5 – Escape into the Night

_As Raynar's true identity became clear with the exhuming of Exomere, Sir Gannon and Gwynn Auburn have defected to his cause. However, they are all deep in enemy territory, and they all had to make it out safely, no matter what it took. As Raynar suggested, they would do what Draco did best: they would simply charge on through, letting nothing stand in their way._

"CHARGE!" Raynar shouted as he charged forward at a group of Machokes in Wyvernian armor., Exomere's blades glowing bright in the darkness of the night. "Retreat!" one of them shouted as they ran, Raynar cutting one of them down as he continued his charge. "Dragon Rush!" Draco roared as he slammed into another set of them. "Dark Pulse!" Bors and Lucan shouted, firing off their attack at yet another group. "Close Combat!" Gannon yelled as he beat down yet another group of them. "I can see the gates! We're almost through!" Raynar exclaimed as he lead the charge, deflecting attacks from different guards and cutting them down. Just as they made it to the gates, however, a dark shadow appeared, taking on the shape of a Dusknoir with black armor on his shoulders and a black helmet protecting his head, his eye glowing bright red behind it.

Raynar stopped in his tracks, causing the others to do the same; it was Sir Dallon Lettos, who was not only a Wyvernian Knight, but the most powerful of them all, the Black Knight! "I applaud your effort" Dallon said flatly, "But you will go no further…surrender, and your lives will be spared." "We will not become hostages to be bartered with!" Raynar shouted furiously, "Besides, I have a score to settle with you." At this, Dallon seemed to pause for a second as he analyzed him when suddenly he let out a loud laugh. "Well isn't _this_ a surprise" Dallon said, "The little Riolu left behind after I killed his treasonous mother! Who would've thought you were the heir of Raynar I?" Suddenly, Dallon became much more serious as he replied in a sinister tone, "I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance, and now I will correct my error…" He stuck his right hand out to the side, and out of nothing but shadows he summoned Harbinger, a massive buster sword appeared in his hand that had to be at least five feet long from the hilt to the tip of the blade. "We will see…I'll handle him alone, the rest of you get out of here" Raynar said as he spun Exomere around a few times, causing it to transform into an adamantite-bladed broadsword and began to circle, Dallon doing the same as they assessed each other's defenses. "We'll stay Raynar" Draco said adamantly, "I will never leave your side, none of us will!" Raynar nodded in response then focused back on Dallon. "Show me your strength" Dallon said as he raised the buster sword in only his right hand just as the two charged at each other into the battle.

Raynar and Dallon slashed with their weapons, the blades of Exomere and Harbinger collided with a thunderous clash. The two of them pushed each other back and hacked at each other furiously, their blades parrying each other as they fought. Suddenly, Dallon pulled back his left fist and knocked Raynar high into the air using Shadow Punch. While he was still in the air, Dallon attacked him again, assaulting him with numerous slashes from harbinger before he punched Raynar to the ground. As Dallon plunged Harbinger down, Raynar rolled out of the way of the attack and vaulted up on Exomere to kick Dallon in the head. Dallon staggered forward slightly, but immediately pulled his weapon free of the ground before counterstriking again. Raynar spun out of the way and slashed Dallon across his shoulders, but his armor protected him, nullifying any damage he might have taken from the attack. "That's enough! Descend…Death's Angel!" he shouted as suddenly Raynar was struck with massive amounts of shadow energy on all sides, forcing him to his knees. "Time to finish this" Dallon said as he rushed at Raynar. Raynar leapt over Dallon as he passed and kicked him in the back of the head. Dallon spun around and slashed, Raynar doing the same. The two locked blades again, pushing each other way and hacking at each other repeatedly with ever increasing speed and ferocity. The two then locked blades again, pushing back against each other.

"You can't win Raynar!" Dallon exclaimed, "Emperor Saul has been designated the rightful ruler of not only Arcceonn, but the entire World!" "I'm sure there are many others who could say the same of themselves" Raynar replied angrily, "But none of them are right, least of all, you!" Dallon pushed him back and swung Halberd down with a powerful overhead slash. Raynar deflected the blow and slashed Dallon across the chest, forcing him back. "Give it up!" Raynar shouted. "Gullible fool! This is what I was planning from the beginning!" Dallon exclaimed in triumph, "Payback!" Before Raynar could react, Dallon struck him onto his back and knocked Exomere flying from his hands. As Raynar was on the ground, Dallon placed a hand on him to hold him down and raised Harbinger high into the air for the finisher.

"NOOOOOO!" Draco shouted as Dallon slashed down, but to everyone's surprise, Draco stood in the way and blocked the attack with his arms! "Insolent fool!" Dallon shouted furiously as energy slammed into Draco from his blade, forcing him back, "I'll finish you first!" "Not on your life! I will never give up!" Draco exclaimed as he began glowing. "What the…what kind of attack is this?" Dallon muttered when suddenly Draco's shape began changing as he blazed with energy, "No! He's…" Draco reappeared, now about triple his former size; he had evolved from Gabite into Garchomp! "Let's see how you measure up!" Draco shouted as he charged forward. Dallon attempted to deflect, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid Draco's Dragon Rush. Dallon was knocked flying and slammed into a wall, but despite even this, he was back up almost immediately. "Well…" Dallon said with a grin, "You're stronger than I thought…I am willing to let you pass...but I warn you, this is the only time I will allow you any respite. Next time, I will show no mercy." Sir Dallon disappeared in what seemed to be dark fire, leaving the path clear for Raynar and his companions to flee. "Morgan! Get us out of here!" Raynar shouted. At that moment the Mismagius faded into view and muttered her incantation. All of them became enveloped in light and disappeared, leaving all who witnessed it baffled.

"How is it you were able to transform Exomere from a dual halberd into a broadsword Raynar?" Bors asked. "Frankly, all I did was manipulate my own Aura" Raynar replied without looking in any direction other than right ahead. "Exomere is what you would call a Tri-Weapon Staff" Gannon interjected, "It is a weapon that has a default form, but can be transformed if one can manipulate the energy within it. Each one has three unique forms, in the case of Exomere, a dual halberd, a broadsword, and twin straight swords." "I see…" Raynar said as they reached a clearing. After surveying it closely, he decided it would be a suitable place to rest. "We can stop here for tonight. It's far enough from any roads that the Wyvernians won't send soldiers here for at least a week."

About an hour later, everyone had finished preparing where they would sleep and were settling down. Before anyone could sleep, however, Raynar had to address an important issue, and so called everyone together. Despite Gannon suggesting Raynar sit in front of all of them, Raynar refused, and instead all of them sat in a circle. "Why are we sitting like this?" Gannon asked. "Because I do not see myself as being above any of you" Raynar said, "When in a perfect circle, no one is at the head or the foot, and so all are equal." Gannon nodded and took his place in the circle as Raynar began. "As I'm sure all of you have considered, there is a small chance that a Wyvernian patrol might come near our location, so we shouldn't take any chances" Raynar said. "Should I set some traps for them?" Morgan asked. "No Morgan, if you forget where you put them by tomorrow, we might end up falling into them ourselves" Raynar replied flatly, "I would know." At this Lucan snickered slightly; "What's so funny?" Gwynn asked. "Oh…Morgan told me about that one…" Lucan mused, "She said that after he was caught in that snare by his ankle Raynar yelled…" "That's enough Lucan, we need to get back on topic" Raynar said flatly, "I suggest we set up three guard shifts lasting about two hours each. I will take the first shift alone, the other two will involve two of you." "I volunteer for the second shift" Draco replied. "As do I" Gannon answered. "Bors and I will take the third" Lucan said, Bors nodding in agreement. "What about me?" Gwynn asked. "It's unnecessary for either you or Morgan to have a shift" Raynar resonded, "The sun will be up in nearly six hours, at which point we will continue on our way, so three two-hour shifts should be plenty." With that, Raynar stood up, turned around, and took up a stakeout in a tall tree, while the others went to different places in the clearing for the night. _I can defend myself, Raynar knows that_ Gwynn thought, _Yet why is it he doesn't want me, or anyone, up with him?_

A short while later, all were asleep, save Raynar, as his shift had only just begun. He sat in his spot on that ranch, completely alone, remaining completely silent as he surveyed the area as well as the skies in case there were any Wyvernian aerial units. There was barely any noise, save the sounds of a river that ran through the area, but even that noise was faint and distant. It seemed as if everything were frozen in time, completely silent and devoid of life. Suddenly, Raynar heard a faint rustling of leaves behind him. He turned around, ready to strike when suddenly he saw it was none other than Gwynn.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Raynar said flatly as he turned back around and leaned against the tree's truck. "I couldn't" Gwynn answered, "may I sit here with you?" Although Raynar was about to protest, he decided against it; he sighed and replied, "If you'd like, then yes." He moved over slightly on the branch to give Gwynn some room as she moved to sit next to him, which didn't prove a problem given it was wide near the trunk. "I have a question, if that's okay with you" Gwynn said, looking him in the eye. "Ask away" Raynar replied. "Why is it you wanted to be alone during your shift?" Gwynn asked, "If it isn't too personal." Raynar paused a bit and leaned back against the tree, his hands rested behind his head and looking up at the night sky.

"After Sir Dallon killed my mother, I was overcome with hatred, and I became an assassin with the hopes of drawing out Sir Dallon" Raynar said flatly, "Although Morgan was my accomplice, she never went with me to do the actual killing, so I'm used to working alone." "I see, but why is it you didn't want either of us on a guard shift?" Gwynn asked. "That's an easy one, for Morgan I mean" Raynar replied with a half smile, "One, she won't, and two, half the time she'll pull a prank on you while you sleep." Gwynn smiled slightly in amusement, but he seemed to be evading her question. "What about me?" she asked, hoping for Raynar to answer her directly rather than evading her question again.

Raynar's expression changed at hearing this, and although from the side, Gwynn could see those same sad eyes she had seen a year ago. "You were the first Wyvernian to ever show many any kindness" Raynar answered, "And on top of that, you saved me from your father, declaring your act of treason even though you knew his standing orders would be to kill you…it takes a lot of courage to do something like that." Gwynn had expected Raynar to say something along those lines, although the fact of her being the first Wvernian to show him any respect along with the compliment came as something of a surprise. "For that reason, I can't bear to see you come to any harm" Raynar continued, "If anything happened to you, then as both your ally and as Arcceonn's sovereign leader, I would be fully responsible for it." "Raynar…" Gwynn said, turning away slightly as she thought. _Why would he feel responsibility for any harm that came to me?_ she thought, thoroughly puzzled until suddenly she came to a startling realization, _Is it possible that he…_

Gwynn blushed slightly, something that Raynar noticed despite it being so subtle. "What is it?" Raynar asked. "Raynar, how do you feel towards me?" Gwynn answered. Raynar's puzzled expression following that question told her that he didn't quite understand what she meant. "Do you see me as simply an ally or…something more?" Gwynn added to clarify her question's meaning. Raynar didn't say anything, but he did look away slightly as if he was avoiding her gaze, a sign that her suspicions could be correct. "Well…allow me to put it this way" Raynar said as he looked up when he saw what he was looking for: a flower. He took the flower from the branch above his head and held it in front of them. "This flower, although not a rose, or a carnation, is still a flower" Raynar said, "So therefore, a rose, no matter what color, is still a rose…and in that same way, it is said a rose by any other name is just as sweet…I'm sure you know the rest of the saying."

Gwynn smiled and responded, "Yes, I do." Before Raynar could say anything more, Gwynn turned his head towards her and kissed him; Raynar's entire body stiffened up from shock, but after a couple of seconds he relaxed again. _I have no idea what you have in mind for this moment Gwynn…_ he thought, _but whatever it is, go ahead._ Although he was sure the night would be if anything uneventful, it had turned out the opposite, but in a good way.


	8. Chapter 6: Declaration of War

Chapter 6 – Declaration of War

_The news of Raynar's successful escape from Arcceonn City had already begun to spread like wildfire in the week it took Raynar and his allies to return to friendly territory. Citizens of Arcceonn once predisposed to compliance towards Wyvernia suddenly took up arms and began violent riots in several Wyvernian-controlled cities in the southwestern peninsula, including the major seaport: Port Haven, which had been completely overrun by the Arcceonn Liberation Army. As Raynar returns to this stronghold, the Wyvernian Army and Navy gear up for a counterattack, and so began the Great Arcceonn War!_

As Raynar and his companions entered Port Haven's gates, he was greeted with a truly awe-inspiring sight. The residents of the port city were cheering wildly in celebration of their victory in overthrowing the city. Many of the citizens trained in combat were given armor and joined the army, many of them now lining either side of the street leading to the town's center; there were even some Wyvernian soldiers among them that had defected. Finally, and most amazing of all, on the flagpole in the town center, the red and white banner of the Kingdom of Arcceonn hung waving in the wind, a sight that hadn't been seen in more than fifteen years.

"I never thought I would see this day" Raynar muttered in amazement at everything around him, "I haven't seen so many people so happy like this!" "Remember Raynar, this is only the beginning" Gannon reminded him, "Final victory is still quite far off." At that moment, an Armaldo came up to them flanked by an Ursaring and a Typhlosion, all of them in the armor typical of Arcceonn Knights. They each bowed at the waist then stepped aside. "Your highness, it's really you!" the Armaldo exclaimed as he fell in step with him. "Sir Alistair, you do not need to call me that. I am not in any way above anyone" Raynar replied, "Just call me Raynar." "As you wish" Alistair responded as he lead him to the center of the town, where a podium had been set up. "Oh no…" Raynar muttered, his eyes widening. "What is it Raynar?" Gwynn asked. "Uh…I've never given a speech…what if I say something I shouldn't?" Raynar answered nervously. "You won't" Gwynn replied, "I have faith in you." Raynar smiled faintly and nodded in acknowledgement as he took to the stage, the eyes of his entire people now on him.

"Citizens of the great nation of Arcceonn" Raynar began, pausing for a few seconds as he thought of what to say. "Just one week ago, we were all fearing for our lives and those of our loved ones, as we had done since our nation's fall fifteen years ago" he continued, "But in an instant, that all changed! I ask you, why should we suffer any longer under their rule?" The crowd began sheering yet again, giving Raynar more confidence. "There are many reasons that compel us to separation from the Wyvernian Empire, and to seek our own independence, but chief among them were the actions of their Emperor!" Raynar declared, "Saul has _persecuted_ our people, _stolen_ our property, and _murdered_ our loved ones…but there is one thing he will _never_ destroy: our indomitable will for freedom, and the iron-handed fist of justice!" The crowd's cheering became even louder now, giving Raynar the cue to give it all he had. "I say enough is enough!" Raynar shouted angrily, "And so I, Prince Raynar K'Tal II, heir to the throne of Arcceonn, break all ties from Wyvernia, making us a free people! Finally, let this be my declaration…of a Great Arcceonn War!" At this comment the crowd went wild, letting Raynar know his work was done. He knew the gravity of his words, and that there was no turning back now, but he was determined to fight from the front line, leading his armies into battle and fighting to the bitter end; they would die a free people, or die trying.

About an hour later, Raynar sat at a table in a nearby tavern with seven knights he had hand-picked to be his generals. Sirs Draco, Bors, Lucan, Gannon and Alistair were among them, the other two being a Zoroark named Sir Marcus Novan, and a Gliscor named Sir Ezio Nachturne. They were here to discuss their strategy: where and when to attack or defend? Where were troops needed and where could they afford to have less there? Where were supplies needed the most, and how to get them there? These were all questions that all armies must answer to fight a war.

"As soon as the Wyvernian leadership receive news of our Declaration of War, they'll hit us with everything they've got" Gannon said as he looked over a map of the Southwestern area of the Arcceonn region, "and speaking from experience, their tactics would mean hitting one specific location with a massive force, most likely by land invasion spearheaded by aerial strikes. The only question is where and with how many troops?" "We believe the Wyvernians to have an army of over four hundred thousand in the region already, with another two million or so reinforcements on standby that could be sent here within months" Bors added. Raynar looked around at each location on the map; there were only a few beaches the Wyvernians could use for a sea invasion on the peninsula, as the rest of the coastline was made up of sheer cliffs, so he had to agree on the certainty of a land route, but from where? His eyes drifted slowly to the eastern are of the map until he found the mountain range that cut off the peninsula from the rest of Arcceonn, upon which he noticed something; there was a pass through the range running through Mount Resolve, the tallest mountain in the range. "They'll invade through the Mount Resolve Pass; it's the only viable method of an attack by land" Raynar said, pointing to the location on the map. "It is a narrow pass, so their troops will have very little room to maneuver; this will make them vulnerable to attack, particularly from the air" Raynar continued. "Alright" Gannon replied while nodding in agreement, "Then what should we do?" "Here's my idea…" Raynar answered, "First, I will lead a small contingent of our soldiers to meet them as they reach the pass. When they attempt to follow, another group of soldiers will create a rockfall in front of them, and another behind them to trap them." "What if that doesn't work?" Alistair asked. Raynar smirked slightly, as he had already thought of that; despite him never being in a military command position before, he felt he might have a natural ability for it. "We will give them a chance to surrender" Raynar answered finally, "and if they refuse, we will attack and wipe them out." Each of his knights looked at each other, obviously discussing amongst themselves whether it could work or not. "A bit under-handed I will admit, but it's a better idea than any of ours" Alistair said. Raynar sighed wiped his brow as he thought for a few seconds. "Sir Alistair, I may be young, but I know that regardless of age, experience, or reason, War is still War" Raynar said with a tone of finality, "In this War, we must go all in. There can be no turning back."

About three days later, in Daiseto, the capital of Wyvernia, Saul Dragmire I rested in his chambers. He had been up continuously for the last three weeks trying to deal with different issues, from trade disputes to civil unrest, and even for a Salamence, this could prove quite draining. He was bored, and he almost wished for some major crisis to break him out of the doldrums. At that moment, he heard something land on the edge of his window. He woke up to see one of his couriers, a Pidgeot named Zephyre Morrison; Saul had told him before never to come to him in his chambers without good reason; Saul really hoped it was a good reason, as he was tired of having to find new couriers. "What is it Zephyre?" Saul said flatly, hiding his irritation at being disturbed. "My Emperor, there is a crisis in the Arcceonn Province!" Zephyre exclaimed, "The heir to the Arcceonn Throne has taken command of the Rebels. They have declared War!"

Meanwhile, elsewhere in that same fortress, Sir Dallon was discussing current affairs with Sir Pence Rhodes, a surprisingly quiet Nidoking known for both his patience and unwavering sense of honor known as the Indigo Knight, and Sir Hal Fraser, an Alakazam known for his strategic and tactical expertise who was called the Gold Knight. Suddenly, a loud roar broke interrupted their conversation. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!" Suddenly, Saul himself came stomping towards them, and by the look of things, he was _beyond_ angry. "My Emperor, was is it?" Dallon asked in surprise. "That rebel scum" Saul cursed furiously, "They dare defy the Wyvernian Empire by declaring War! Their audacity never ceases to amaze me!" Dallon, Hal and Pence looked at each other with shocked expressions. "So what you said was true" Hal said. "Oh, _now_ you believe me!" Dallon shouted angrily. This caught everyone completely off guard, as Dallon _never_ lost his temper, not in many years; immediately, Dallon calmed himself upon realizing he had lost his temper and disappeared. "What's with him?" Pence said absently, "I've never seen him angry like that before…" "It has to do with something he did just after he had died and was revived as a Dusknoir in around the year 1346…" Hal answered, "But for now we need to plan our next move carefully. The War has begun anew."

In his chamber, which was really no more than an empty room as he really didn't need much of anything, Dallon brooded over his memories. Some were pleasant ones of his life. At that time he was a Zoroark, a Knight of Arcceonn. He was bold, daring, respected and admired by all around him, even his enemies, but that was over twenty years ago; since then, he had only felt pain, regret and hatred, mostly the latter. This didn't bother him, as it seemed to make him stronger if he recalled those thoughts in a battle. He had never forgiven those that had caused his death; they had left him behind, alone, unwanted and forgotten against impossible odds, and he sacrificed his own life to save the one he cared for more than any other, and yet she betrayed him despite her promise to never forsake him. That no longer mattered, as she was now dead; he had seen to that personally. He held Harbinger in his hands, the very sword he wielded against his enemies in the final battle, and he had died grasping the sword's hilt in his hands; it still had his own blood on the blade, as it had been on there for so long that it had stained the metal and could not be removed. _I will not allow this to happen_ he thought furiously, _for the sake of my sacred honor, Arcceonn will be crushed!_


	9. Chapter 7: The Defense of Valor Corridor

Chapter 7 – The Defense of Valor Corridor

_About a week after Raynar's Declaration of War against the Wyvernian Empire, Emperor Saul I dispatched all of his elite knights to Arcceonn and alerted all who were already there. One of them, Sir Damien Incendio, or the Red Knight, was leading the initial invasion force of about eighty thousand to crush the rebellion in the Southwestern Peninsula. However, in order to do so, He must lead his army through the narrow and treacherous Valor Corridor, a pass through the Steel Mountain Range that is the only known path of its kind through the mountains. It is here that the Arcceonn Liberation Army will fight its first battle against the Wyvernian Imperial Army in over fifteen years. The stage is set for the first battle of the Great Arcceonn War. Will it also be the last?_

"They're coming Sir!" shouted Fletcher, a Swellow who was also one of the scouts for Raynar's forces in the area, "Estimated time of arrival is in two hours at the most!" "Thank you Corporal, that's all I need to know" Raynar replied as he looked down on Victory Corridor from his lookout position on a high cliff. He knew the enemy invasion force would be fairly sizeable, at almost one hundred thousand according to his intelligence reports; Raynar had about sixty thousand soldiers, twenty thousand less than his foe, so they had to use the terrain if they were to have any chance of success. So far, however, it seemed as if their ambush might work until suddenly Raynar looked up to see a Ninjask that he knew must be a Wyvernian scout. "Draco! Take down that Ninjask before he sounds the alarm!" Raynar ordered, pointing at it. "I'm on it" Draco replied as he leapt into the air and began pursuing the Ninjask. It was no contest; despite being faster, Draco was able to use his altitude advantage to dive on him and knocked him out of the sky. "Enemy down!"

Two hours later, the Wyvernian attack force finally made it through to the Victory Corridor. Sir Damien's "Crimson" Division was among the most elite units in the Wyvernian 3rd Army, and they were known to spearhead all offensives undertaken by the 3rd Army. Sir Damien, for all of his bad temper, was respected by his soldiers, as he led from the front, putting himself in harm's way before any of his soldiers; that was why he was leading them now, his trademark scarlet armor glowing like the raging flames of War themselves. However, something disconcerted him; he had never heard back from his scout, but in order to maintain surprise, he had to keep moving…that is, assuming they didn't know he was already there. Suddenly, he saw a lone figure standing in front of him. "Full halt!" Damien shouted as he stepped forward to see who it was when he realized it was Raynar K'Tal II himself! "Prince Raynar, you really _are_ as bold as I had perceived" Sir Damien said as he unslung Firebreather, a naginata from around his chest and held it in his right hand, "But you cannot possibly fight off eighty thousand alone!" "I am not alone!" Raynar replied as suddenly, his entire army advanced behind him, much to everyone's surprise, with Sirs Gannon and Draco in front of them all. "You even have the traitor with you!" Damien exclaimed, "Then it looks like we can fight this out the way I intended. Give a real battle! Crimson Division, attack!" "Charge!" Raynar shouted as the two armies advanced rapidly and clashed in a massive melee.

Like all Wars of the age, the fight soon became personal, most of the time being one-on-one. It didn't take long for Raynar and Damien to reach each other, at which point they leapt at each other and attacked, Damien with Firebreather and Raynar with Exomere in its dual halberd form. The force of the impact seemingly blasted them apart, but they had recovered quickly. They ran at each other and hacked towards each other furiously, upon which Raynar realized that although there was a size difference, the two were a close match.

"Tell me…what do you hope to gain? You can't win boy!" Damien shouted above the clash of weapons. "The freedom of my people is worth more to me than my own life! You will not stand in the way on our road to liberty!" Raynar replied as he forced Damien's blade aside and slashed him across his chest, creating a noticeable slash mark in his armor. "I will never surrender Raynar! I am the Red Knight!" Damien taunted. "Then it seems that at the end of this day, one of us will stand, and the other shall fall" Raynar replied as the two circled. "And the victor will be me!" Damien replied as he rushed at Raynar again. Raynar poured his Aura into Exomere, causing the blades to glow brightly, even against the flames that enveloped Firebreather's blade as he parried the blow and pushed back before assaulting Damien with a series of slashes, one of which grazed the side of Damien's face!

Damien grasped at his face in pain for a brief moment, but shook off the blow before long. "It seems that…our skills are matched…" Damien said as he caught his breath, "it will come…down to…our willpower!" "My will shall not falter! I will either secure victory or die trying!" Raynar shot back as he went on the offensive. Damien managed to block Raynar's rapid attacks, but just barely. It now became apparent that he was slowly losing the battle, even to those around them who were in fights of their own. The last of Raynar's strikes forced Damien back several steps, and only then did he realize that his time was up.

"I…will…never…SURRENDER!" Damien declared as he called upon all of his power and became engulfed in flames, Firebreather becoming a literal sword of flames. Damien rushed at Raynar to end the fight once and for all, but Raynar had also called upon more of his power, now almost overflowing with energy to the extent that all in the battle felt the energy emanating from him, causing every soldier to stop and watch the final exchange between them. Damien and Raynar made one final slash attack as they passed and stood there for several seconds. Suddenly, the flames around Damien faded out and he dropped Firebreather to the ground; he fell to his knees with one hand on the ground and the other grasping at a slash wound across his chest caused by Exomere, which had at long last breached his armor. "Looks like…your willpower…carried the day Raynar…" Damien growled, "I…I-I surrender…" With that, he passed out. "Sir Damien! It can't be!" a Wyvernian Kabutops exclaimed. "I don't believe it! The Red Knight…has surrendered!" shouted a Machoke. "The day is ours!" Sir Gannon declared, "The Battle of Valor Corridor is over!"

The day following the battle, all of the Wyvernian soldiers that survived had been accounted for and either became Prisoners of War or defected, albeit they would be commanded by Arcceonn commanders to ensure there wouldn't be any mutiny from them. Their wounded were also treated the same as those of the Arcceonn side by Raynar's own request; among them was Sir Damien, who although badly injured had survived and would make a full recovery in time. It was during a tour of this forward field hospital that Raynar came to the side of Sir Damien's cot. The Knight had been defeated, but he looked as dignified as ever, and to Raynar's surprise, he smiled slightly as he approached.

"Well isn't this a surprise" Damien said, "I thought you would leave me out there to die like I would have told you to do if I could." "I will never leave a fallen soldier, friend or foe" Raynar replied as he sat next to him, pulling back his sheet to see the bandage around Damien's wound. Surprisingly, there was very little blood on it, a sign that Damien would be back to full strength in no time. The slash mark on the side of his face had healed completely and left a scar by his left eye, but there was no major disfigurement.

"You know something Raynar, I'm surprised you didn't torture or interrogate me, given that's what we did to the prisoners _we_ captured fifteen years ago" Damien said with a slight increase in his smile. Raynar shook his head no, to which Damien sighed and leaned back slightly. "Let me tell you something about me Raynar. I didn't fight for Wyvernia out of loyalty, I fought for a more personal reason" Damien said, "I _live_ for the thrill of the battle. Didn't you feel it when we fought? A primal urge to kill and destroy?" "To an extent, yes" Raynar replied truthfully. "My point is I can't stay out of the fight for long, and I really could care less whose side I'm on…" Damien said as he reached his concluding statement, "I request to join your army. At least then I can keep on fighting."

Raynar replied with a puzzled expression, upon which Damien added, "Don't worry, my soldiers are loyal to _me_, not Wyvernia, so _all_ of them will join on their own accord; I know it." Raynar paused to think about Damien's offer; he was tempted to say "No" and to send him off to a POW camp upon recovering, but he realized that Damien's presence on the battlefield drastically increased morale for his allies. Maybe it could do the same for the Arcceonn soldiers. "I would be honored" Raynar answered, "I will have Sir Lucan inform the survivors of the Crimson Division that they can choose to join us as well."

Meanwhile, in Arcceonn City, Dallon Lettos hovered at a table with a map of the Southwestern Arcceonn region on it. Since Sir Gannon's defection, Dallon had been appointed as the new Military Governor of Arcceonn in his place, at least in the interim; this wasn't a position Dallon enjoyed much, in fact he despised it, but it was what had to be done to restore order to the region once and for all. Of course, the loss of Sir Damien had also proven problematic, as it meant that now one of their most skilled commanders was gone, and morale had plummeted as a result. What was more, the entire Crimson Division had been all but wiped out at Valor Corridor; so far, the War was starting to go badly for Wyvernia, and Dallon knew it. _Raynar…why didn't I kill you when I had the chance?_ he thought, _Yet another mistake I've made in the long list of blunders that is my afterlife…_ He snapped himself out of his daze and scolded himself for thinking defeatist thoughts; Arcceonn would fall, he just had to find out how that would happen, and so far, the results were not very forthcoming...


	10. Chapter 8: The Ronin Plains

Chapter 8 – The Ronin Plains

_Two weeks after the defeat of the Crimson Division at Valor Corridor, the Wyvernian Army tried and failed a second time to attack through the pass, this time they were repelled by the new 9__th__ Army Division lead by the defected Sir Damien and consisting of crack ex-Wyvernian soldiers. Now the Wyvernians were going to try again with a force nearly twice as strong as both of the previous armies combined. In order to ensure that they won't find a way around Valor Corridor, Raynar has decided to intercept their armies at the Ronin Plains using Sir Draco's 1__st__ Army Division, Sir Gannon's 6__th__Army Division, and Sir Damien's 9__th__ Army Division, although the enemy would outnumber them over two to one. Furthermore, they would be lead by the legendary Sir Cael Aquas, a Feraligatr known as the Azure Knight, turning the Ronin Plains Battle into one of the most mismatched victories for Arcceonn in the entire War…_

The sun broke the horizon and shone on the Ronin Plains, revealing the combined forces of the 1st, 6th and 9th Army Divisions waiting tensely for the alert to prepare for battle. Raynar as well as Sirs Draco, Gannon and Damien were observing the landscape in front of them, which for the most part was barren, empty land. It was only called a Plain because it was flat, even though the characteristic fields of grass had long withered away and died. Raynar was looking through a spyglass he had recently been provided with upon his return to Port Haven after the First Battle of Valor Corridor, and finally he was able to see their armies approaching. Unlike Valor Corridor, strangely enough, they had virtually no air support. "Why am I starting to think this was a bad idea?" Gannon said. "Don't worry, they can't strike us from here" Raynar responded when suddenly Sir Damien chuckled slightly, "What's so funny?"

"_They_ can't hit _us_, but _we_ can hit _them_" Damien answered, "If you remember I had nearly three hundred Rhyperior in the Crimson Division, all of them are now on our side. Their function back then was as living mobile artillery!" "Artillery…of course, why didn't I think of that?" Draco said in surprise. "Very well…when will the enemy be in range?" Raynar asked. "They already are…" Damien replied as he turned to one of his officers, a Machamp, "Captain! Tell Major Litheman he is cleared to open fire!" "Yes Sir!" he replied as he ran off to tell the "artillery" division. Damien turned back towards Raynar and nodded towards the enemy. "Now just sit back and enjoy the show…" he said with a wide grin.

Meanwhile, the Wyvernian Army could now see their foes across the plains, although too far away to strike yet. They continued a steady advance, saving their energy for the fight itself, the most patient of them all being their leader, Sir Cael. His deep blue armor glistened in the light of the rising sun as he continued forward towards the enemy lines, his trademark halberd, Tsunami, in his left hand. So far, their advance had been unimpeded, and there was no sign it would be.

That is until an ominous whistling sound could be heard followed by the loud bang of the impact of a large rock against the ground bursting to pieces near his soldiers. "Take cover!" one of his soldiers shouted. "Take cover where? We're Sitting Psyducks out here!" another exclaimed. "Medic!" shouted yet a third. Sir Cael, although normally calm, was greatly angered by this sudden attack and shouted, "Enough! Charge!" The Wyvernians began advancing much faster now towards the Arcceonn center…exactly as Raynar had planned.

"Draco, tell the center to hold their positions! Gannon, Damien, tell the flanks to advance forwards in an inwards arc!" Raynar shouted. "Yes Sir!" each of his knights replied as they ran off to give the orders to each section. The central forces, the 1st Army Division, would stay firm and remain in their positions as a diversion, while the 6th Army Division on the Left Flank and the 9th Army Division on the Right Flank would advance, eventually enclosing and surrounding the much larger Wyvernian force, but for now, Raynar would have to fight along with the 1st Army Division to ensure phase one's success. He summoned Exomere in its dual-halberd form as the Wyvernian Army came ever closer at a much faster pace than before, then finally, impact. The two armies slammed head-on into each other and began to fight, and again, their leaders were pitted against each other.

As Raynar and Cael caught sight of each other, they immediately knew who each other was, and by tradition, the leaders of each army would typically fight each other as a way to decide the outcome, and Cael clearly intended to fight Raynar tooth and claw. "So at last we meet on the battlefield Traitor" Cael said as the two circled each other, "I will not make the same mistake Sir Damien did." "We will see…" Raynar responded as the two entered fighting stances. Seconds later, the two attacked each other with their full fury and their battle begun.

Cael managed to land some early hits on Raynar and struck him back, but the Prince of Arcceonn would not go down so easily. As Cael came at him again, Raynar caught Tsunami in Exomere's blades and twisted it out of Cael's hands before slashing him several times. Despite the savage blows he sustained, it became clear to Raynar that Cael could take far more hits than Damien could. This would be a much longer battle than he had at first thought. Cael managed to retrieve his halberd, but was unable to use it to fend off Raynar. Instead he slashed him with his claw across the face, forcing Raynar staggering back in pain.

Raynar knew his wound would leave a scar, but it wouldn't impede his fighting ability. Cael attacked again, Raynar back-flipping away to evade before he ran behind Cael and kicked him in the back of the head. Cael staggered slightly but immediately spun around, at which time Raynar struck him with Sky Uppercut. This knocked the Azure Knight high into the air, with Raynar pursuing. He slashed his foe multiple times with Exomere before slamming Cael with a final overhead slash that launched Cael into the ground.

"Give it up" Raynar said as he approached Cael, the latter beginning to stand up again. "My defeat would mean nothing!" Cael shouted angrily, "Wyvernia has every advantage! It is useless to resist!" "Sir Damien certainly didn't seem to think so" Raynar answered as he looked off to the right, "He is leading one of the armies that now has you surrounded." "What?" Cael exclaimed as he looked around. They were indeed surrounded; Cael had fallen for a technique so old it was considered ancient history, the pincer movement! "Even then, unlike him, I will fight to the very end!" Cael shouted, "My people will hail me as a hero for my sacrifice!" "Maybe, but your defeat will raise morale for my army as well" Raynar answered, "Either way, I will finish you here and now." Cael rushed at him in a frenzied rage; Raynar ducked and swept the massive Feraligatr off of his feet before he plunged Exomere into his foe. Cael stiffened up slightly but soon loosened back up, mortally wounded. The Wyvernian soldiers, meanwhile, were in a panic to begin with, and now with the defeat of their leader, they began to surrender en mass. The Arcceonn soldiers raised their arms to the air and cheered for their hard-fought victory.

Hours later, the data on the battle had been gathered, and the result was bittersweet. The Arcceonn army, although victorious, suffered over thirty percent casualties, whereas the Wyvernians suffered about twenty-two percent, but still lost more numerically. About ten percent of the Wyvernian troops had seen the approaching flanks and had managed to escape, but their leader Sir Cael, was dead. Raynar hated the thought of killing such a warrior, but in the end he had no choice; he couldn't help but laugh slightly, because only a year ago he wouldn't have hesitated to kill Sir Cael. He had changed a lot, and was becoming more and more like his late father he never knew. "Sir, what is it?" Gannon asked as he came up to him. Raynar snapped out of his daydream and realized that his eyes had teared up slightly. "I just have some dirt in my eyes" Raynar answered as he wiped off his face, "Carry on."


	11. Chapter 9: Sir Dallon's Secret

Chapter 9 – Sir Dallon's Secret

_The Arcceonn Liberation Army and the Wyvernian Empire have been at war for over six months now, and the late summer of 1365 gave way to the late winter of 1366. Due to the cold, very little fighting took place during that time save the occasional skirmish near the Steel Mountains, giving each side a much-needed respite. Arcceonn needed this more however, as now they were planning to finally go on the offensive, the question is where and when? It is also during this time that Raynar returned to Port Haven, their temporary capital, for a short time, as did several of his knights. With Sir Damien in charge of the front line's defenses during this time, Raynar could rest assured that he might be able to enjoy this momentary peace…or so it would seem._

As Raynar returned to Port Haven with many of his troops, very few were outside to greet him; he wasn't surprised, given this had so far been the coldest winter Arcceonn had experienced in two centuries, so he understood why everyone was inside. Still, that didn't help the fact that although it at least wasn't snowing, the air was so frigid it was painful to feel it on him; he was lucky that both he and all of the soldiers with him had survived the journey back without too much difficulty.

"Dismissed, you go as you please" Raynar said to his soldiers, allowing them to visit their families, buy a drink at the tavern etcetera. As for him, he stayed in a spare room at a nearby tavern despite the insistence of Sir Gannon that he find a better place to stay; Raynar didn't particularly care for luxuries, he could live without them.

"I hear everything is going well" Gwynn said as she sat next to Raynar on a sofa.

"Y-Yes…quite well" Raynar replied, shivering from the cold slightly. Despite the blanket he had around him, it didn't seem to help, primarily because on the way back it _did_ snow, which then melted and soaked his fur, only to turn into ice when the temperature dropped again; to put it lightly, he was _very_ cold.

"You know Gwynn, I wonder, why do the Wyvernians fight so hard against us?" Raynar said, "I understand their imperialist ambitions, but why so hard?" Gwynn shrugged in response.

"That would be a question to ask my father" Gwynn answered.

"I did, and he didn't know either" Raynar said flatly, "Oh well…"

"Ask and you shall receive your answers…" said a deep voice from out of nowhere.

"What the…I know that voice!" Raynar exclaimed as he jumped to his feet and ran outside to see none other than Sir Dallon Lettos in his full armor waiting for him.

"Of all the times you could have shown up, why did it have to be now?" Raynar muttered.

"I came here for a fight Raynar, and you _will_ accept if you value the lives of your comrades" Dallon said as he summoned Harbinger.

"You are an enemy to Arcceonn's sovereignty" Raynar answered as he summoned Exomere in its broadsword form, "I would have accepted anyways."

"Be careful Raynar" Gwynn muttered, being sure to remain hidden from Dallon's view.

Dallon and Raynar suddenly leapt at each other and slashed, their blades colliding so hard that they were both flung back into nearby buildings. This caused some inside to look out in astonishment at what was happening; they could hardly believe their leader was fighting the Black Knight right before their eyes. Both of them were back up within seconds and attacked each other again, with a similar result, only this time they rebounded back and slashed at each other as they passed at high speed. They each came to a stop and stood their ground as they caught their breath, or in Dallon's case, recharged his energy.

"The fact that you would come here alone just to fight me is quite surprising Dallon" Raynar said in a slightly-taunting tone.

"I won't make the same mistake I made with you eight years ago" Dallon replied with a wide grin just before they both charged at each other again, this time pushing against each other's weapons in an attempt to overpower their foe.

"Why did you kill her? Answer me!" Raynar demanded angrily.

"I do not forgive traitors…" Dallon replied coldly as he pushed harder, Raynar doing the same.

"Traitor? She was anything but treasonous!" Raynar retorted.

"She betrayed _me_!" Dallon replied, unwittingly allowing a bit of his rage be expressed as he pushed Raynar away, the latter simply back flipping and landing about twenty feet away.

"Betrayed you? What do you mean?" Raynar said as the two circled.

"Your father knew, as did she. I'm surprised she didn't tell you" Dallon answered as he disappeared, popping up on the roof of a tall guard tower. Raynar followed, leaping on to the wall and running _up_ the wall as fast as he could. Dallon fell off the top, traveling in the opposite direction. The two of them approached each other and attacked with their weapons, but Raynar broke through Dallon's defenses and slammed him into the ground.

As Dallon struggled to get back up, Raynar landed just in front of him, and picked up Dallon's own sword with the clear intent of using it against him. Raynar attacked again, slashing Dallon multiple times with both weapons when suddenly he realized what Dallon was about to do. He spun out of the way, narrowly avoiding Dallon's Payback by mere inches before slashing Dallon with Harbinger. Dallon evaded the attack and yanked his sword back out of Raynar's hand before counterstriking. He struck his foe right in the middle of the chest and launched him like a Geodude from a Rhyperior's arm into the side of the tower.

"Well well Raynar, it seems that the better of us has secured victory" Dallon gloated, "It's time to end this insurrection once and for all!"

"I will _never_ give up!" Raynar replied as his Aura flared up, changing from blue to silvery-white. _The Aura Overdrive! It thought only his father knew how to do that!_ Dallon thought when he was viciously attacked by Raynar with Dark Pulse. Dallon was sent reeling backwards, but managed to recover from the attack. Raynar was soon upon him again, and the two of them began hacking away at each other with their weapons, but every time their blades would meet and deflect each other to the side. Suddenly, Raynar landed an upwards slash directly on Dallon's armor, knocking off his helmet from the blow!

Many were now watching them, among them being Sir Damien. He had never seen Dallon without _any_ part of his armor missing, and now he realized upon seeing his former comrade's eyes that he recognized him.

"It's him! I don't believe it!" Damien exclaimed.

"Who?" Gannon asked.

"Remember that Zoroark from years ago? The one with the buster sword?" Damien replied. At this, Gannon's eyes grew wide from shock; he had witnessed the brave knight's final sacrifice, and he found it impossible that one of the greatest knights in history had fallen so far as to become what Dallon was now.

"That explains his animosity towards Raynar…" he muttered, "but why? Why would he stray so far from his convictions as to be beyond all recognition?"

At that moment, the fight became even more violent as Raynar and Dallon began firing Aura Spheres and Shadow Balls at each other rapidly, the stray shots creating massive explosions upon impacting something. Finally, the two of them streaked in for a final exchange of frenzied melee attacks. The two of them attacked with greater speed and power than ever before now, as they now seemed as nothing more than two blurs fighting a battle of Light and Darkness. Finally, Raynar forced Dallon to lower his guard and struck the Gripper pokemon right in the chest, impaling him on Exomere!

Dallon stopped and winced in pain, Harbinger fading away from his hand; he looked at the sword stuck through him and then at Raynar. Much to the latter's surprise, Dallon seemed to not be as much angry as he was feeling regret.

"You won this round…but the next time, I won't just defeat you, I will _destroy_ you!" Dallon shouted furiously as he forced Raynar back and pulled Exomere out of himself before throwing it to the ground. In what seemed to be dark fire, Dallon faded away and disappeared to parts unknown, although most likely Arcceonn City. Raynar stood there for a short time before he collapsed from sheer exhaustion and passed out, the last thing he saw before his vision faded being Sirs Damien and Gannon rushing to his side.

As Raynar awoke, he felt as if his entire body had shattered into pieces; Sir Dallon had severely injured him, but not gravely. He took note of Gwynn, Sir Damien and Sir Gannon sitting around him.

"What the…what happened?" Raynar asked, his memory of the event a little foggy.

"You defeated Sir Dallon, but he escaped" Gannon responded, "I am quite surprised you survived the battle, given his skill."

"He was surprisingly good for a regular knight" Raynar replied.

"He was anything but an ordinary knight when he was alive" Gannon muttered. Raynar picked up on what Gannon muttered and began to think. _What does he mean? What is it I don't know that they do?_ He thought.

"What are you talking about?" Raynar asked.

Gannon sighed and answered, "When he was alive, Sir Dallon Lettos was a Zoroark, and was known the Knight of Justice for his unwavering sense of honor. He had many admirers, but there was one that he had a particular interest in, and unfortunately that would spell his downfall."

Raynar looked at Gwynn in surprise, who looked back at him with equal shock then turned back to Gannon.

"She was an Umbreon named Lily Normand" Gannon continued, "He declared to her that no matter what, he would remain loyal to her, and all he asked in return was the same from her. Unfortunately, the Arcceonn Civil War broke out that year in 1345, and Dallon went to the front with your father, who was at the time a Knight like him; Damien and I were there as well, since the Grand Republic of Wyvernia had dispatched some of their knights as well. In the final battle, we were nearly surrounded, and we couldn't hope to outrun the enemy forces for the life of us, so Sir Dallon told us to go while he stayed behind, ultimately sacrificing his life to save us."

Raynar looked away for a moment; he had to admit, he almost felt bad for Dallon, even if he was his sworn nemesis.

"Now, Lily was distraught by Dallon's death, coupled with the sudden end of the Arcceonn Civil War" Gannon continued, "Your father was selected by a group of knights of the revolutionary army and became the new King of Arcceonn. Despite this achievement, he felt bad for Lily, and tried to help her get over Dallon's loss. Eventually she did, but something else also happened: they fell in love, and three years after the end of the Arcceonn Civil War, in early 1349, they secretly married. Dallon, revived as a Dusknoir somehow found out, and was consumed with anger. He joined the Wyvernian Army and helped Saul ascend to power under the condition he help him obtain revenge against Raynar I and Lily. That is why we invaded your homeland, and is why we fight today; it is all because of Dallon's jealousy and hatred."

At this moment, Raynar really _did_ feel bad for Dallon, and somehow it seemed like it was his fault, because if that hadn't happen, he wouldn't be alive, but Arcceonn would never have been wasted. He was also deeply angered however at Dallon's selfishness, and knew that the only way to win this war was not to defeat Emperor Saul, but Sir Dallon Lettos; the Black Knight must fall!


	12. Chapter 10: Counterattack

Chapter 10 – Counterattack

_The winter of 1366 gave way to spring, and with the snow's thaw, much of the ground between the Arcceonn and Wyvernian forces has become impassible due to flooding. However, Raynar is about to take a massive gamble: Wyvernia, although having a vastly superior Navy, has a very small maritime presence in the region; this knowledge has led him to plan attempting that had never been tried before. He believes that a land invasion force brought in and supported from the sea while supported from the air could possibly be the best chance Arcceonn has of a successful counterattack. In the most ambitious effort of the War, Arcceonn would carry out the first Combined Arms Operation in all of recorded history!_

The weather was gloomy, with several sure signs of torrential rain ahead; few would expect to see a small fleet of Arcceonn transports slowly approaching the shore about one hundred miles away from Arcceonn City. There were fifty of them in all, each with only four hundred troops. Every one of these soldiers were Arcceonn Knights and defected Wyvernian officers, and so would rely on their training and skill to survive on the battlefield, along with support from the air, of course. Their commander during this operation would be Prince Raynar II himself, but he was beginning to have some doubts about his strategy; the attack he would undertake had never been attempted before in history. He couldn't afford to lose here.

Eventually, the Arcceonn transports made it close to shore and began transferring their troops into longboats for the trip in, while the stronger of the water types offered to swim alongside to clear any debris that may be in the way. By now, a driving rain was falling on them in sheets, and visibility was poor, but Raynar had to maintain a confident façade for the sake of the soldiers. Raynar was in the lead longboat, which was already on its way to shore; he intended to lead the attack personally, much as his father had led the final defense of Arcceonn City sixteen years prior.

"Soldiers of the Arcceonn Liberation Army" Raynar shouted over the pelting rain, "Today we begin the offensive to retake our homeland! The time of our freedom is still far off, but a victory today brings us that much closer to the liberation of our people; the freedom of your parents, wives and children hang in the balance! Don't let them down!" At that moment, Raynar leapt out of the longboat and charged forward into the surf towards the beach, each of his soldiers following him the whole way.

"What the…they're attacking!" a Wyvernian Scyther exclaimed as he looked on in awe at the landing force; although it was small, he could tell were extremely skilled and could probably defeat an army several times their size.

"What should we do Sir Corran?" he asked as he turned towards a shiny Gallade next to him. Corran Auburn, or the Silver Knight as he was known, wore gleaming silver armor over most of his body that was designed for mobility and protection from ranged attacks, unlike most of his comrades who fought at close quarters; of course, there was a reason he was also known as the "Sniper Knight". Unlike his brother, the traitorous Gannon Auburn, he was armed, in his case with a pair of repeating crossbows that could combine into a long-range hunting crossbow.

"Leave them to me…" Corran replied as he loaded each of his crossbows, "Tell the main force to stand back in case they break through and to intercept any aerial units they might send." As if on cue, a Garchomp appeared from above them and fired Hyper Beam at the ground as he flew over the Wyvernian armies. He recognized him as Sir Draco, an Arcceonn Knight. Corran smirked and combined his weapons before he began tracking Draco's flight, even though he was flying at nearly Mach 2. He took aim and fired a steel-tipped bolt, enhanced by his own telekinesis, and shot Draco out of the sky and causing him to crash on the beach.

"Draco!" Raynar shouted as he ran over to his fallen comrade. He had been hit in the wing by a crossbow bolt, and although he was in pain, he would live.

"Somebody pulled a fast one after I finished a strafing pass and shot me in the wing" Draco winced, "I can fight, but I'll be grounded for a little while…"

Raynar nodded and answered, "Who would it be?"

"That would be I!" shouted Sir Corran from atop a nearby rock. He leapt off of the rock, did a flip, and landed right in front of Raynar, his crossbows fully loaded. "Hello Raynar, you been a good boy?" he taunted, "I see you haven't."

"The Silver Knight I presume" Raynar said flatly, "Why did it have to be you?"

Sir Corran smirked slightly. "I know, ironic isn't it" he answered, "my younger brother saves you, and I end up killing you…well, fate has a funny way of doing things I guess..."

Raynar summoned Exomere in its twin sword form and prepared for a fight as Corran primed his crossbows.

"Let's settle this here and now" Corran said, "This is where the incursion ends!"

Raynar leapt to attack Corran, but the latter simply teleported way to the top of the rock, leaving Raynar far below. As he combined his crossbows, Raynar immediately knew his intentions and ran back as Corran fired a supercharged shot at him, followed by another and another until he ran out of ammunition.

"Clever little sneak!" Corran exclaimed as he separated his weapons and teleported back down to the battlefield. Upon reappearing, he reloaded his crossbows and teleported to evade Raynar's attack again, but for some reason Raynar couldn't see him no matter where he went.

"Looking for me?" Corran taunted, prompting Raynar to look up. Corran was directly above him, standing _upside-down_!

"Oh come on!" Raynar cursed when suddenly he was forced to leap away in order to avoid a hail of crossbow bolts.

Corran righted himself directly in front of Raynar and fired more rounds when Raynar did something unexpected; rather than dodging, he slashed at the shots fired towards him and deflected them back at Corran! The Gallade staggered back as his own ammunition grazed his shoulders, creating faint but apparent scars.

"Tell me Raynar…" Corran said with a grin as he recovered and pointed the crossbows at him, now setting each to automatic fire, "Can you dance?"

"Yes" Raynar replied flatly, "Focus on the fight will you?"

"Well…then dance!" Corran shouted as he rapid-fired his weapons. Raynar leapt and flipped to evade, but all while slowly closing the distance with Corran. Finally, Raynar was close enough to strike and slashed Corran across his chest, forcing his foe to stop firing. Corran dropped his weapons and fell to his knees, finally defeated.

"How…?" Corran muttered in amazement, "How…did this happen? How _could_ this happen?"

"Your overconfidence was your weakness" Raynar answered flatly as he turned to walk away. Corran smirked as he stood back up with a crossbow pointed at Raynar's back; it was all a ruse!

"Your gullibility was _yours_!" he shouted as he shot Raynar in the shoulder. Raynar staggered and fell to his knees in intense pain from the attack, Corran chuckling slightly in amusement.

"This is the end for you…" Corran said as he leveled a crossbow at Raynar's head, but little did he know he was just as vulnerable. Raynar suddenly spun around and landed an Aura-infused punch right on his right eye. Corran cried out in pain and grasped at the side of his face; Raynar had clearly dealt a crippling blow. Corran had a cut on the side of his face now, and Raynar didn't even want to know what had happened to his foe's eye.

"This isn't the end, it's only the beginning!" Corran shouted furiously as he leapt away from Raynar onto a rock, then from the rock to a cliff, where he disappeared. Raynar looked off after him when suddenly he heard loud cheering. He looked towards the ridge and couldn't help but join in; his troops have captured the ridge and established a foothold. The landing was a success!

A few hours later, the wounded were being treated and the prisoners accounted for; Sir Draco was among the wounded, but his injury was minor and would heal within five days. Sirs Gannon, Bors, Lucan and Damien had arrived with the second wave that apparently was not needed but would now be useful as reinforcements.

"You okay Draco?" Raynar asked.

"I should be okay" Draco answered, "I'll just have to sit out for about a week or so."

"You'd better" Damien replied with a slight grin, "Because although I have the skill on the _ground _to replace you, _flying_ will probably be a problem…" All of them laughed at Damien's sarcastic remark, even Draco.

"Get some rest Draco" Raynar said as he got up, "As soon as you recover, you're coming back to the front line. The war's only just begun."


End file.
